When RYNJ Head of School Rabbi Daniel Price and his middle school administrative team looked at the options for graduation, the situation was bleak. No one knew what would be allowed. But making it personal was the most important criteria. And they achieved their goal, judging from all the appreciative calls and emails he received. “I got emails from parents and grandparents raving about the positive energy in the homes during the graduation ceremony and praising the extraordinary coordination it took in this trying period to make a spectacular graduation happen, said Rabbi Price. “We accomplished a very personalized graduation,” said, “and did it in a way that was very meaningful.”
RYNJ’s multipart graduation began on the morning of Tuesday, June 9, when children and their families arrived for a drive-through car parade, where they were greeted by the administrators and teachers. At one station, a masked and gloved Rabbi Price handed each child his or her diploma. At another they got their yearbooks. At the next station the students received personalized certificates listing their virtues. There was an ice cream truck and swag bags with nosh and gifts. And a photo booth with an RYNJ backdrop of the school and a cardboard cutout of Rabbi Price. “People talked about how exciting and energizing it was,” said Rabbi Price. “The children felt special and were thrilled to have their moment.”
The livestreamed graduation took place for the girls on Tuesday night, and the boys had theirs the next night. The format for both was the same. Rabbi Price gave a talk, followed by Morah Mira Stokar speaking to the girls and Rabbi Tzvi Geffner speaking to the boys. A special guest lit up the evenings: Mordechai Shapiro gave an inspirational talk to the students and sang. “It really brought up the level of the experience,” said Rabbi Price.
The interactive part of the program brought everyone together virtually. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles took selfies and shared them so everyone watching could see each other. There was a spotlight on each student as their names were called, and they threw their caps in the air.
“It was very important for us to have an exciting and thrilling send-off to the kids, who are ending the year on a disappointing note—no end-of-the-year trips, no normal get-togethers, no sitting in the lunchroom signing yearbooks,” said Rabbi Price. “We wanted to create a moment for them that they will never forget, and we sincerely believe that’s what we accomplished. Many people told us that this was by far the greatest graduation we ever had.”
